The oven of the present invention has many applications both in the restaurant industry and in the food preparation industry. While not intended to be so limited, the oven of the present invention will be described in terms of its application in that segment of the restaurant industry directed to pizza and pizza related products. Prior art workers have devised numerous types of conveyorized ovens. U.S. Pat. No. 1,641,313 teaches a conveyorized bake oven having heating flues above and below the upper flight of the conveyor and a plurality of furnaces below the conveyor capable of burning wood, coal, coke or other suitable fuel. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,604,336; 3,721,178; 3,815,489 and 4,045,166 all describe conveyorized, gas-fired cooking, broiling or baking ovens. U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,678 teaches a conveyorized cooker employing radiant heating. U.S. Pat. No. 3,681,096 sets forth a conveyorized cooking and heating appliance utilizing electrical heating elements. The appliance has a grid mounted on the top of its heating chamber upon which food can be placed so as to be kept warm. U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,517 teaches a conveyorized food processing device for soft tortillas having an upper storage and dispensing portion for heating and keeping warm toasted tortilla chips.
Prior art workers have also devised apparatus specifically for preparing pizza. An example of such apparatus is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,231 wherein a baking oven for frozen pizza and the like is described. The baking oven is provided with a series of trays upon which the pizzas are be placed, the trays following a rectangular path through the oven. U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,692 teaches an automatic pizza making machine having a conveyor belt onto which a pizza dough mixture is dispensed and pressed into discs. The belt conveys the dough discs through various stations which deposit different ingredients thereupon. Finally, the conveyor causes the completed pizzas to pass through a baking oven of predetermined, fixed length and baking time.
The present invention is directed to an improved oven which is simple in construction and which provides both a stationary cooking base and a continuously moving, conveyorized cooking surface located beneath the stationary cooking base. Radiant heating elements are mounted above and below the conveyorized cooking surface such that no additional heating means is required for the stationary cooking surface. The radiant heating elements are so located as to minimize the chances of the operator being burned thereby.
The oven has a high capacity, being equivalent to about six conventional pizza ovens. Despite the fact that the cooking of pizza and the like is critical, the oven is such that the cooking process is completely controlled and requires fewer operators despite its greater capacity.
The provision of both conveyorized and stationary cooking surfaces renders the oven extremely versatile. Complete access to the interior of the oven is afforded both during operation of the oven and for purposes of cleaning and the like. Access to the central portion of the oven is free of radiant heating elements. The stationary heating surface is made up of readily removable horizontal panels. The radiant heating elements may also be easily removed for maintenance or replacement. The oven has easily accessible and removable crumb trays which also serve as heat reflectors for the radientheating elements.
The oven is fully heat insulated throughout, minimizing heat loss to the kitchen, thereby improving the working environment.